The first week of February each year is Children’s Mental Health Week. This week I have reached out to two different mental health specialists to provide the following information. The first is Khia, Khia is Mental Health Coach, Licensed Social Worker, and mental Mental Health Coach. Khia and I did a Q & A live below on Thursday, February 4th, addressing the following: The importance of recognizing children’s mental wellness, the misconceptions regarding children’s mental health, barriers to seeking access to Children’s Mental Health, and so much MORE! Click the link to watch The Public Health Notebook and Notes by Khia collab to provide a Children’s Mental Health Q&A!
Art Therapy w/ T. Gill.
My name is T. Gill, LPCC, ATR. What do the letters stand for? Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Registered Art Therapist, I have been practicing art therapy and counseling for seven years. I have worked in a variety of settings including community agencies, inpatient hospitals, residential, and private practice. In these settings, I have been fortunate enough to provide individual and group therapy with children, teens, and adults struggling with mental health issues including abuse, addiction, trauma, and grief and loss.
What is Art Therapy? American Art Therapy Association defines art therapy as “a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art-making to improve and enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages.” Art therapy can be used in two ways, art as therapy and art psychotherapy. Art as therapy allows for art-making to become a tool for self-expression. Art psychotherapy is focused on art being used to address emotional needs.
Importance of Art Therapy for Children As mentioned earlier, art therapy can be used for all ages. I have utilized art therapy with children the most. Art therapy can help children learn to identify and explore emotions they may not understand or feel comfortable with verbalizing. This type of therapy can be used to increase self-awareness, communication, problem-solving, emotional regulation, and self-esteem. It can also provide a sense of accomplishment to learn an art technique and create artwork from start to finish.
What can parents/teachers/children do to support Mental Health? Listen to understand. Allow space for children to talk to you without fear of judgment. Take time to see issues from a child’s perspective. If you are confused about what is being shared, ask more questions. Lastly, seek mental health services if you notice your child is struggling emotionally.
My Personal Story
As many of you may know I lost my father at 16 years old, the last semester of my junior year of high school. 16 is such a fragile age, a ton of pressure from peers, social media, and just the world in general. All of that combined with the loss of my father was very traumatic. I started to rebel, as children often do at this age (without the loss of a father). Transitioning from a two to one parent household was also very hard on me. Being used to bouncing off of both now to looking to my mother for everything, did not sit well with me. Like I said I feel as if I had to get to create a relationship with my mom at 16 while in mourning. Not an ideal situation.
So after the loss of my father, my mother decided it was best for us to see a therapist. My therapy sessions were with my younger brother, our therapy was more so geared toward expressing our selves through art. We made collages, paintings, and poetry. It was about 10 years ago but I remember enjoying doing crafts and talking about shared memories with my dad with my brother. I also remember never informing my friends I was in therapy, I was embarrassed. There was definitely a stigma around therapy even amongst teenagers, I remember thinking it was for “crazy” people. I am glad I think and feel differently now, and I want to applaud my mom for seeking help for her mourning children. Going to therapy as a child encouraged me to seek therapy as an adult.
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